Nursing-home worker who stole from elderly gets 10 years

A former business-office manager who stole money from patients at two area nursing homes was sent to prison yesterday for nearly 10 years.

A former business-office manager who stole money from patients at two area nursing homes was sent to prison yesterday for nearly 10 years.

Karen A. Carter, 47, of Halsey Place on the West Side, had pleaded guilty last week to fraud, theft from the elderly, forgery and misuse of a credit card after joint investigations by Dublin police and the Ohio Attorney General's Office.

Investigators accused her of using patient accounts to obtain cash, credit cards and loans, and spending thousands of dollars from patients' accounts.

She was caught when the niece of a 92-year-old resident at the Sanctuary at Tuttle Crossing discovered misspent funds. That woman reportedly had $10,000 charged on her credit card. At least one other resident of the Sanctuary also was a victim.

Carter also was charged with violating terms of her probation from a 2006 conviction for a similar theft from an East Side assisted-living complex where she worked.

Yesterday, Judge Michael J. Holbrook of Franklin County Common Pleas Court combined the recent charges and the 2006 conviction into one sentence of nine years and 11 months. He warned Carter not to be involved in any scams in prison and ordered her to pay restitution to the victims.

Amy Branham, director of assisted living at the Sanctuary, said Carter's theft has wrecked the reputation of her company and violated the trust of their residents.

"We did a complete background check on her and found some things, but she complained that she had been a victim of identity theft. We were also conned," Branham said. "She had a plan (to steal) from Day One."

Carter's financial records showed she used the funds to take a cruise, eat out and buy groceries. She apologized to the victims and Sanctuary employees during the sentencing.